03-08-2010, 04:11 PM
Cable companies are not ALLOWED by the gubment to offer ala carte pricing. Cablevision desperately wants to be able to offer it because they think they can make even more profit off of it. The Content Providers are completely against it, because they know if given the choice, subscribers will not want their crappy networks and they will go bankrupt. Since the providers and their profits outnumber cable, they pay off politicians more and keep the legislation from ever passing. So don't blame the cable companies for this.
Here's the big secret with cable bills, and why cable companies are always unfairly bashed for their high prices, and for bills continually going up: it's all the content providers' fault. Cablevision makes a simple stance on this: They have not raised broadband or phone service fees in over 5 years. Why? Because there is no content provider to pay off. Your cable bill goes up because the content providers continually ask for more money when their contracts expire. So of course these increases have to get pushed down to the consumer. Providers know that everyone hates their cable company, so they are perfectly happy to screw the consumer because they know the cable company will get blamed for it. The perception on how this business works needs to change drastically, and people need to start saying 'Why the hell am I indirectly paying for crap I don't want?' And the answer is: because your government fails you in every respect and this is just another example. Cable companies will happily give you only the channels you want, if the government would get out of the way.
Here's the big secret with cable bills, and why cable companies are always unfairly bashed for their high prices, and for bills continually going up: it's all the content providers' fault. Cablevision makes a simple stance on this: They have not raised broadband or phone service fees in over 5 years. Why? Because there is no content provider to pay off. Your cable bill goes up because the content providers continually ask for more money when their contracts expire. So of course these increases have to get pushed down to the consumer. Providers know that everyone hates their cable company, so they are perfectly happy to screw the consumer because they know the cable company will get blamed for it. The perception on how this business works needs to change drastically, and people need to start saying 'Why the hell am I indirectly paying for crap I don't want?' And the answer is: because your government fails you in every respect and this is just another example. Cable companies will happily give you only the channels you want, if the government would get out of the way.